Bill Cosby, arguably one of America’s most well-known and loved TV dads, has just kicked off on the battle of his life. The world was shocked when Mr. Cosby, who played the incredibly wholesome character of Dr. Huxtable on The Cosby Show, was pointed to by an overwhelming number of female accusers – over 60 in total – of sexually assaulting them.
Out of the multiple allegations, however, only one criminal charge has been brought against the 79-year-old Mr. Cosby mainly due to the large periods of time passed since the events in question. The case being preferred against him is that involving Ms. Andrea Constand who accuses him of having drugged and sexually assaulted her at his home while she was employed the nearby Temple University back in 2004.
Trust and Betrayal
Prosecutors put forward in their opening remarks that Bill Coby’s own words would form a strong part of their case against the comedian, bolstered by the testimony of their first witness, Kelly Johnson, who claims that Mr. Cosby assaulted her in a bungalow at Hotel Bel-Air in L.A. after having her ingest a large white pill. Her testimony included details of how she woke up after being knocked out to Mr. Cosby applying lotion to her hand, which he then forced her to touch his genitals with.
“My dress was pulled up from the bottom, and it was pulled down from the top, and my breasts were out,” she said tearfully. “And I felt naked.”
According to the prosecution, being headed by Assistant District Attorney Kristen M. Feden, the case against Mr. Cosby is about “Trust, betrayal, and the inability to consent.”
Quaalude purchases
Mr. Cosby, who had a history of extra-marital affairs and who in 2015 admitted under deposition during the course of a lawsuit brought against him by Constand that he obtained Quaaludes during the 1970s in order to give to women before sex.
Lawyers acting in M. Cosby’s defense claim that the women accusers are bringing opportunistically falsifying charges against their client for financial gain. The timing of the accusations, being brought about so long after the alleged events, are a particular red flag in the defense counsel’s view.
On day 2 of the trial, Constand took the stand and testified publicly for the first time against Bill Cosby. She told jurors that Cosby gave her pills that left her incapacitated as he sexually assaulted her in January 2004.
“I was frozen,” she said.
Mr. Cosby, who is facing a possible 10-year prison term should he be convicted, was accompanied to court by actress Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played the role of his TV daughter Rudy on The Cosby Show, although his real-life wife, Camille, was not in attendance.
The sexual assault trial continues, with the highly anticipated testimony of Ms. Constand set to be the highlight of the trial. Mr. Cosby himself, considered all but blind as a result of his advanced age, was composed throughout the proceedings. He will not take the stand in his defense but has pleaded not guilty to aggravate the indecency charge against Ms. Constand. Bill Cosby has also denied allegations of sexual misconduct lodged by scores of other women over the lats two years.
Stay tuned for more updates on the on-going trial exclusively on Updated Trends.
